"Michael Jordans’s special strength was his ability to play through pain. He just blocked out the pain of a sprained ankle or a foot injury and refused to miss a game. Most guys would be out two weeks, but not MJ, his focus and mental toughness was awesome. So much so that he inspired his teammates [by his example] to play up to his level.
Most people only saw the glitz and glamour side of MJ’s life, but they didn’t see the hard work, preparation and pain he went through. He played in Phoenix with an infected foot and the team doctor wanted to send him home and Jordan refused. He played every game of that road trip. He once played with a broken cheekbone, with blood leaking into his sinus cavity. He never missed a game because of that. He never even missed a practice. One day Michael had back spasms in his lower back so bad that we had to carry him off the bus. He scored 40 points that night."
- Stacey King
Another famous story about MJ’s ability to “play through it” happened in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals. Jordan had been fighting the flu and had doctors put an IV in him during halftime to help with dehydration. Late in the game, New York Times sportswriter Mike Wise saw how weak MJ looked and like many sportswriters on a deadline had done, actually wrote his story for the next day’s paper as if Utah had won the game. However, like many times before, Michael refused to accept defeat.
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